diablofandomcom-20200222-history
Imperius
"Imperius, the archangel of Valor, is the greatest warrior in all of creation. He revels in war and combat and has led the hosts of Heaven to innumerable victories. With Malthael's absence, it is Imperius who now rules over the Angiris Council, seeking always to defend the High Heavens from any foe." —Selathiel, writing on Imperius.Diablo III, Imperius, Archangel of Valor Imperius, Archangel of Valor, is an angel of the High Heavens and the de facto ruler of the Angiris Council. He has lead the Heavenly Host to numerous victories over the Demonic Legion, but his pride and rashness has often cost him. Biography The Great Conflict Over the aeons of the Great Conflict, Imperius tread where other angels did not dare. When the war turned in Heaven's favor, he was always the first to spearhead the most daring assaults into the Burning Hells. When Hell's legions lay siege to the High Heavens, it was Imperius who rallied his fellow angels to action, always the first to storm out of the Diamond Gates and charge headlong into the scattering armies of Hell. It is written that in one of Imperius's invasions of Hell, Solarion (his spear, forged by Imperius in the heart of a dying star) felled so many demons that rivers of blood flowed throughout the seven realms of the Great Evils.Book of Cain Wrath :"Your rage makes you powerful. Yet you hide it from your breathren. Perhaps you fear them seeing you for what you truly are." "I fear nothing!" —Diablo and Imperius On one such battlefield,2013-12-01, BlizzCon 2013 – Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Preview Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-01-13 Imperius and all four other Angiris Council members took the fight to their demonic foes. Imperius bested a gigantic one-eyed demon by himself, and the demons retreated to their fortress. Imperius sent the Heavenly Host after them. Tyrael urged caution, but Imperius ignored him and entered the fortress himself. Arriving in the structure's depths, he found his fellow angels dead. And Diablo, Lord of Terror, waiting for him. The two came to blows, fighting each other to a standstill. It was at this point that the other Angiris Council members arrived, imprisoning the Prime Evil. Auriel and Tyrael suggested capturing him, for if slain, Diablo would return in time. An enraged Imperius however, declared that demonkind could only be dealt with through blood, and slew the demon. It was an act that Auriel declared "sacrilige" and Diablo mocked the angels with his last breaths. Nonetheless, Imperius's actions would later be immortalized in the Tristram Cathedral.Diablo III: Wrath The Sin War :"I say that the renegade must be forever imprisoned and his nest of demon-spawn eradicated!" —Imperius casts his vote The Great Conflict came to a sudden halt with the disapearence of the Worldstone. It was eventually discovered that it had been stolen by renegade angels and demons led by the archangel Inarius, and that they had used it to create an entire world—Sanctuary. The renegades had even coupled with each other to create a new race—nephalem, and their descendants, humanity. Upon the discovery of this world and its people, the forces of the High Heavens (intent on erradicating the "abominations" they beheld), Burning Hells, and Edyrem met in battle, that was only ended through the sacrifice of the nephalem Uldyssian. Thus, the Angiris Council met to reconsider the fate of Sanctuary and its people. Imperius reaffirmed his belief that the "demonspawn" be erradicated, while Auriel and Itherael voted that humanity be spared. Malthael cast no vote, so all eyes turned to Tyrael. Imperius expected that he would vote for humanity's annihilation, and in the event of a tie, the Angiris Council would carry out its original intent on scouring humanity from existence. Tyrael, much to Imperius's surprise (and resentment), sided with humanity. Imperius, though irritated by how events had gone, nonetheless agreed to honor the council's judgement. And in return for Inarius, he made a pact with the demon lord Mephisto that Sanctuary and its inhabitants be free to choose their own path.The Veiled Prophet Interbellum :"Tyrael, the ancient law of the High Heavens strictly forbids us from interfering with the mortal world! Yet you have done so—brazenly." "All I am guilty of, Imperius, is bringing justice; while you hide, cowering, behind your throne!" "Silence!" —Imperius and Tyrael''Diablo III, ''Act II Intro Cinematic The millennia following the Sin War were not kind to Imperius. With the pact made between Heaven and Hell, the Great Conflict was brought to a grinding halt, thus robbing Imperius of further opportunities to prove his valor in combat. The rift that Tyrael's actions had caused between them refused to close, and since that time, it is said that Imperius became a highly legalistic and unbending tyrant. Deckard Cain speculated that it was not his intent, but nonetheless, Imperius's actions caused disharmony to creep into the Angiris Council. With the departure of Malthael after the destruction of the Worldstone, Imperius became the council's de facto leader. Twenty years after that event, events between Imperius and Tyrael came to a head, as he demanded that Tyrael account for his interference in the mortal world. The two traded blows, first verbal, then physical, until Tyrael had Imperius at the tip of his own spear. Refusing to bow to Imperius's mandates, the archangel ripped off his own wings and became mortal, in an act that Imperius declared to be sacrilige. Subsequently, Tyrael fell upon Sanctuary, cast out from Heaven. Valor and Terror :"My old enemy. You cannot hide from me, no matter what form you choose to wear. Let your true form be revealed...Diablo!" Imperius to Diablo Not long after Tyrael's departure, Imperius found himself looking out from Heaven, to see Diablo before him, possessing the body of a mortal. Not fooled by the disguise, Imperius unleashed Solarion upon the Lord of Terror, revealing Diablo's true form. A form that was nothing like what Imperius had seen in the past, but something else entirely. A singular Prime Evil, with the essences of all seven Great Evils in the one body. Outmatched, it was not long before Solarion had been split in two, and Imperius himself impaled. Despite his wound, Imperius managed to teleport away. What he couldn't do, was prevent Diablo from destroying the Diamond Gates, giving entry to both himself and the forces of Hell also.Diablo III, Act IV Intro Cinematic Despite his wound, Imperius nonetheless attempted to rally the angels to defend their home. As things turned out, Tyrael and his nephalem allies had followed Diablo and met Imperius in the Silver City. Imperius blamed Tyrael and the nephalem for Diablo's invasion, and ignored Tyrael's insistence that, wounded as he was, he could not face Diablo again. He headed off, warning the nephalem to be gone from his sight. At the Crystal Colonnade, Imperius encountered the nephalem again. After destroying several demons, he warned them to leave (again). Itherael and Auriel dissuaded him somewhat, but Imperius nevertheless threatened to kill the nephalem should he see them again. And at the base of the Crystal Arch, Imperius and a group of fellow angels threatened to do just that, along with Imperius vowing to deal with Tyrael as well. However, the angels were too late to carry out his threat; by this stage, Diablo had begun to corrupt the arch, and a wave of energy incapacitated Imperius and his fellow angels. Tyrael and the nephalem were unaffected, however, and were able to defeat Diablo and save all of Creation from Diablo's wrath.Diablo III, Act IV Storm of Light :"Malthael would have never been without an answer, yet this one is silent once again. I shall speak for him, then. We break the stone at the Hellforge." —Imperius, in light of the Council's debate over the Black Soulstone2014-01-08, DIABLO III: STORM OF LIGHT EXCERPT. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-01-29 Imperius recovered from Diablo's invasion, but remained bitter. Having seen Heaven burn around him and his loyal followers perish, he was deeply impacted by Diablo's actions. Due to his pride, he could not accept that mortals had saved Heaven from destruction. He allowed his shame and anger to feed off one another. Additionally, he refused to acknowledge Tyrael as the Aspect of Wisdom (a position he had taken after Diablo's fall),Book of Tyrael and mocked him for his inability to live up to Malthael's legacy. In the midst of this dissonance the Council discovered the Black Soulstone, which Diablo had used to become the Prime Evil, and now contained the essences of all seven lords of Hell. The Council debated over the stone's fate—Imperius wanted to shatter the stone upon the Hellforge, then launch a final sweeping invasion of the Burning Hells. Auriel wanted to seal the relic in a chamber of light and sound, while Itherael was paralyzed by indecision, and Tyrael remained silent. The dissonance between the angels blossomed, Imperius included. Eventually Tyrael spoke—the Black Soulstone had to be hidden in Sanctuary. In-game Imperius appears in Act IV of Diablo III. He has a boss instance of sorts, but no actual combat occurs. Quotes Main article: Imperius/Dialogue Personality and Traits Imperius's tactical brilliance encompasses all facets of warfare, from maneuvering armies on the battlefield to leading covert strikes against Hell's outposts. The mere sight of Imperius is enough to embolden angels with valor and strength. However, Imperius's valor has come with the flaws of pride and arrogance. He has had many arguments with Tyrael that could only be put to rest through Auriel's intervention. When not in battle, Imperius often strategizes and trains other warrior angels in the Halls of Valor, his personal domain in the High Heavens. Imperius's abilities include teleportation, the ability to render other angels silent with a mere gesture and telekinesis; he has used this ability to thrust individuals backwards. Solarion, his spear, could be called to his side at a moment's notice. Images File:Imperius vs Tyrael|Imperius vs. Tyrael IMPERIUS.jpg|Imperius, armed with Spear of Valor, standing before the Diamond Gates of the heavenly Silver City File:Imperius2.png|Valor's Wrath ImperiusandSolarian.png Trivia "Imperius" roughly translates as "authority," or "power (to command)," in Latin. References de:Imperius